From building the theremin, I have become interested in how music can be created by our interaction with it, but not necessarily with us knowing about it.
this work doesn't know he's affecting the sounds. but then he's a worm.
This is the video tutorial I used to build a theremin out of three radios. the internets god for things like this. having a video helps such a large amount. this guy also put a up a download able set of written instructions that where invaluable.
Known more for his later successful pop career, here we see a young Frank Zappa appearing on the steve Allen show in 1963. as with Cages tv appearances, Zappa seems to know what he's letting himself in for, and happily plays along with Steve Allen for the interview part of the program. (parts 1-3 of this video-can be found on youtube)
I like Zappa spirit of inclusiveness, trying to include everyone in the performance, taking charge, but encouraging spontaneity. It is this playful spirit that seems to be lost in the more self obsessed Fluxus movement, but that here allows for these concept and ideas about what makes up music to be accessible to a general public. humour is key.
This is footage of john cage performing water walk on the tv programme i've got a secret in january of 1960. I find it most interesting how he manage to get to perform this piece on a fairly main stream tv show. It seems that the genre of "variety" can be a use full outlet for the avant garde music, giving an outlet for frank zappa to play a bicycle on live tv, and more recently, Henry Dagg playing his cat organ on britain s got talent.
I like the way that Cage seems to coyly understand his audience. Though in his writting he can muse very intellectually and philosophical about what he does, here he works the crowd well, allowing and almost encouraging laughter, and playing the character of "the weird avant garde guy" to a tee, with his sharp suit and non-plused expression.
it is the integrity and seriousness that makes it funny, but also makes his performance so interesting. The exactness of timing with which he makes seemingly mundane noises make us realise it is composed and precise. so does this make it a piece of music?
Tonkin Liu are and architecture and company made up of Anna liu and mike Tonkin.
The "singing ringing tree" was commissioned by Burnley council and sits on a hill out side the town. I think it is a very clever idea, and quite elegantly executed, with the shape seeming to mimic a wind swept tree. I think the idea of using nature to create sound is an interesting one, seeming some how more mystical thank Henry dagg's very "invented" instruments. Wind instruments are of course common to many orchestras, yet your never normal see them where there is actually any real wind.
I think this idea of out door musical sculptures is one I will keep in the back of my mind. I have always agreed with henry moore's opinion that sculptures are always best out of doors. It would be finding the balance between the musical and the sculptural elements that would be key.
I think the "pigs blood organ" was probably build on a similar principal to this.
I like the way that the principal that it works on is a simple one, the dunking of a diving bell into water, yet the mechanisms that make it work are so present and such a part of the sculpture that they give it a sense of grandeur and a strange, looming elegance.
From finding out about his through matthew Herbert's "one pig" project, I have discovered henry Dagg to be some what of a sound sculpture superman. His contraptions are truly amazing. I think the level of craftsman ship that there appears to be in the works is commendable, as is the element of humour, especially shown in his "cat organ" made from singing toy cats.
He chooses to base his instruments on traditional notions of melody and tunings, which probably makes his instruments more palatable than many of john cages pieces, or frank zappa playing a bicycle with drum sticks. This is not a bad thing. It indeeds could be seen to add a level of integrity to what are other wise wacky and off the wall ideas. The works do not seem to be trying to subvert anything, more embracing a sense of playfulness and the spirit of invention.
apologies for the shit lay out. blogger is a piece of crap.
One pig is the title of an album made my matthew herbert, using recordings made from the life of one pig. from birth, through farm life to being butchered cooked and eaten. ( interestingly he was not allowed to record the slaughtering process.)
It is interesting to see in this video the different recording techniques he uses, from fairly basic field recordings on the farm, to very considered and carefully set up recordings when the pig is being slaughtered and cooked. In this video what is off particular interest is the pigs blood organ that has been made using the blood of said "one pig."
